Redefining Reality
by MusicLover500
Summary: Regina ends up adopting a young Elena and Jeremy after their parents' deaths. Elena now in her early twenties, has never really thought Henry's stories about their adopted mother may prove true until the curse is broken. But with the discovery of her doppelganger lineage and the addition of an infuriatingly charming pirate it proves the least of her worries.
1. Chapter 1

_So in honor of my 16__th__ birthday—in addition to updating at least one or two of my stories—I decided to post the first of many OUAT fanfics/crossovers. This is an AU, with Miranda and Grayson Gilbert being killed in an accident when Elena and Jeremy were kids and as the state sees Jenna as unfit they get put in the system. Also, Elena is in her early twenties as opposed to late teens in this—around 22 or 24, making Jeremy either 20 or 22. _

_This will take place, with the exception of the prologue, during the second season of OUAT with flashbacks of Elena's childhood with Regina and what her and Jeremy did during the first season. Also…this is my first time writing for OUAT, so I'm sorry if anyone is OOC. I'm doing my best, honestly. _

_Disclaimer: Own nothing. _

Prologue:

All little six-year-old Elena Gilbert could process was numbness. The tears, denial, and relentless sobbing had long since resided. Sheriff Forbes sat across from her with an indescribably sad expression on her face—the word _heartbroken_ flitted across the brunette's mind—and she reached across and squeezed Elena's hand as if to say, _everything will be fine eventually_.

Beside her Jeremy—who had only recently turned four—sat curled up next to her, staring unseeingly at the opposite wall. The young girl knew her brother hadn't fully comprehended the knowledge that their parents were _dead_, never to come back; even she struggled to grasp the meaning of it. She'd heard the word before, yes, and knew it meant something terrible, but up until tonight the full meaning had never registered.

"Does this mean we'll be staying with Aunt Jenna?" Elena finally asked, remembering how someone in her class had gone through the same thing not that long ago and was now living with their grandparents. Living with their aunt wouldn't be so bad—she would be able to stay with Caroline and Bonnie and she'd always loved Aunt Jenna. She was better than her Uncle John was by far.

Sheriff Forbes hesitated before carefully answering, "I'm sorry, but I don't think you will." Seeing the crestfallen expression and loathing to upset the girl more than she already was the woman added, "But you might. The decision is out of my hands."

"So where will we go?" Jeremy piped up, startling his older sister whom had believed him to be asleep.

"I think this is enough for the night," the blonde sheriff answered quickly. She really didn't want to explain that there was a high probability the two siblings would be put in the system and sent to a foster home—which kind, she had no idea. "But for now you're Aunt Jenna will stay with you here."

Elena tried to stay awake long enough to see their aunt, but the emotional toll began to take hold and combined with Jeremy's soft snoring, she was out by the time the young blonde woman arrived.

The funeral was held not long after, and throughout the entire thing the two siblings clung to each other like a lifeline as everyone else watched them with sadness and sympathy. Both Bonnie and Caroline hugged Elena tightly when it was their turn to give condolences afterwards, and that meant more to the little girl than any words of sorry and sympathy.

A few days later, a woman Elena had seen a few times arrived to take them to what she described as 'a home where you'll have lots of friends'. Even at her age she knew it meant they were being sent to a foster home—or maybe it was an orphanage. Either way, all the brunette could think of were the horror stories she'd heard about them as Mystic Falls was left behind them.

They all involved the parents being just like the evil stepmothers in Elena's beloved fairytales and stories of siblings being split and never seen again. Fear descended on her—what if that happened to her and Jeremy? That they were split or their new 'parents' were evil?

_I won't let that happen, _she vowed with as much viciousness as a girl her age could. As the oldest now, it was her responsibility to look out for both of them, something she intended to do.

It turns out the home wasn't that bad. There were a lot of kids, but the parents were nice enough. The home was located just outside of Boston, meaning after adjusting the siblings got to explore an entirely new area.

As it was summer, Elena took it upon herself to teach Jeremy what little she knew from school. Numbers, colors, etc., and the thing she found most enjoyable, reading. Every night she would read something to him just like their parents had done to her—be it her book of fairytales or a book one of the other kids had kindly loaned her.

Summer drew to a close and yet no one had shown interest in adopting the siblings, especially upon learning they would not be separated—and nothing would change that as the foster parents were stubborn enough to not put the two through anymore heartache.

That all changed, though, when their foster father—Mark—poked his head into the room Elena and Jeremy shared and quietly asked if they could come downstairs for a bit. Puzzled, Elena set the book she had been reading down and did as he asked, Jeremy following closely behind.

In the living room sat a woman who was dressed in a black dress suit with a dark purple shirt peeking out. Her raven black hair was cut short and seemed to shine when the light hit it just right. Overall, Elena thought she was very beautiful—despite the power that seemed to surround her, like someone of royalty.

"Ms. Mills here is looking to adopt," Mark began once the two had taken a seat opposite the black haired lady. "I told her that you two would be perfect for her."

A gasp escaped Elena before she could stop it. Someone potentially had interest in adopting _them_? Two siblings who she had heard were 'closer than appropriate' and no one seemed to want? She hardly noticed the look of shock that briefly crossed the woman's features when she glanced at the little brunette but it quickly faded.

Smiling faintly at the girl's reaction, their foster father left them alone with the woman.

All Elena could do was stare at the woman—Ms. Mills—while Jeremy had finally recovered from his shock long enough to begin asking questions, as most four year olds were prone to doing.

"Are you really?" He asked excitedly. "Where do you live? Do you have any other kids? Is it nice there?"

"I'm sorry," Elena said. "He hasn't really been this…happy…for awhile now."

"How long have you two been here?" Ms. Mills asked.

"A few months. Ever since our parents died," the girl replied, the familiar ache rising up but she pushed it down. Later, that was what she always told herself when she started to remember the pain—focus on it later.

"I'm sorry," was the response she got. "My parents died too."

"I'm sorry," Elena echoed.

"It was awhile ago," the raven-haired woman replied, smiling faintly at Elena. "But thank you. And, to answer your questions," she continued, turning to Jeremy at the last part, a wide, almost gentle smile crossing her face, "I am looking to adopt—and so far you two seem perfect if what I've heard is true. No, I don't have any other kids sadly, but I do live in Storybrooke—a small town, where there's plenty of kids. And it's very nice there."

"We used to live in a small town!" Jeremy exclaimed excitedly. "I miss it."

"Well, how would you like to live in one again? Only with me," the woman asked.

"You're really thinking about adopting us? But, you don't really know us!" Elena couldn't help but say.

"I know enough to know that I would love to call you family," Ms. Mills answered. "So what do you two say?"

By the end of the day, Elena and Jeremy were no longer Gilberts; instead, they were Elena and Jeremy Mills, and on their way to a new, permanent home.

As Regina drove back to Storybrooke, her two newly adopted kids asleep in the backseat, all she could think about was the aura she had sensed around Elena. It spoke of hidden magic; something she had been told did not exist here in this world. And yet somehow it did.

She wouldn't lie—the magic bit was a big deciding factor in her adopting the two siblings—but as she had spent more time with them she couldn't help but feel the darkness in her heart recede ever so slightly. Something to do with the fact that despite everything they had recently gone through, they still managed to hold onto innocence and the ability to trust easily.

And she was rapidly becoming attached to them, something she never thought she'd be able to do again.

Glancing at them in the review mirror she made a silent vow to prevent them from ever finding out who she truly was. With the way they were worming their way into her blackened heart, losing them for good might just ruin her completely.

_So…good, bad, worst thing you ever read? What did you think—should I continue? Or abandon ship and move onto other ideas? _

_I would love to hear any ideas for the plot you may have!_


	2. Chapter 2

_Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed! It means a lot, and is what keeps me writing. I hope you enjoy this chapter._

Chapter 1: The Truth Comes Out

It was true. Everything Henry had been telling her—about Storybrooke being full of fairy tale characters, about their adopted mother being the Evil Queen—all of it was true. She had somewhat believed him—even she had noticed that people didn't age here and that everyone had seemed stuck reliving the same day over and over minus her and a few others—but she hadn't wanted to believe him about their mother.

Regina had been nothing but nice to her and Jeremy from the moment she adopted them. Yes, she could be a bit overbearing at times, but Elena was just glad she actually cared about them. She would help them with homework, and listen to their rants about school, and…she was just there for them. Even after adopting Henry a few years after she had taken the two siblings in, she still made sure she had time for all three of them.

Elena walked around in a daze as everyone began searching desperately for their loved ones, their true selves having been awoken by Emma Swan breaking the curse. She hardly paid them any attention, too wrapped up in her own thoughts.

The last words she had heard her mother—for she had come to see Regina as that over the years—say before running out of Henry's hospital room right after the curse broke rang through her head. _"Henry, Elena, no matter what anyone says, I've always loved you and Jeremy." _

The young woman longed to know that no matter what the other citizens of Storybrooke said, she would always stand behind her mother. But the fact remained that she didn't know _who_ the older woman was anymore.

All the stories she'd heard about the Evil Queen as a child came rushing to her mind—specifically from Snow White, one of her favorite fairy tales as a kid. The Queen in that one was very jealous and vindictive; none of which matched Regina. At least, the one Elena had grown up knowing.

The brunette's temples began to throb from trying to grasp everything, and she knew it would only get worse as the day went on. Halting, she paused to bury her face into her hands. Against hope, she prayed this was just a dream, that she would wake up back in her room in the mansion.

No such luck. Lowering her hands, Elena began scanning the crowd for Jeremy, knowing he had to learn everything Henry had been saying for months was true.

_*Six months earlier*_

_Elena walked downstairs and saw Henry sitting at the kitchen table, a book spread out in front of him. Their mother had already left by the looks of it. Curious, the brunette glanced at it as she poured some cereal into a bowl._

_The book was thin and very old looking. In fact, it reminded her if the book of fairytales she had stashed up in her room somewhere._

_"New book?" She asked, taking the seat opposite her adopted brother._

_The boy nodded absentmindedly, still intently reading._

_"Must be good," she continued, more to herself._

_"Have you ever noticed anything odd about this town?" Henry asked suddenly after the two had sat in silence for a few minutes._

_"Not really," the young woman replied. Sure, everyone still looked the same as they did when her and Jeremy first arrived, but she chalked that up to aging extremely well. _Almost too well, _a voice that she had grown to ignore whispered faintly. "Why?"_

_"This is going to sound crazy, but I think everyone in here is a character in this book," the dark haired boy said, holding up the book so she could see for emphasize. 'Once Upon A Time' the title read._

_Elena choked on the bit of cereal she had been in the process of swallowing at that. "What makes you think that?" She asked once the coughing had subsided._

_"I've been reading this a lot lately, and it _fits_. The fact that no one here seems to age, the way everyone goes about doing the same thing every single day…how can it be anything but magic?" Henry answered. _

_"Henry," the young woman began carefully, "there's no such thing as magic. Believe me, if there was _someone _would've found out by now." _

_"There is!" He protested. "Look, doesn't Snow White look almost _exactly _like Mary Margaret?" _

_The brunette looked at the picture he pointed to. The two did look similar, but she still doubted it was because everyone was under some kind of curse. "Alright, they do, but that could still be a coincidence."_

_Her younger brother opened his mouth to further protest but Elena was saved by the alarm on her phone going off, signaling she needed to leave for work. "I'll see you later," she told Henry as she hurriedly placed her bowl in the sink and rushed out the door._

_As she did, she heard him call after her, "You just don't believe. But that's ok—I'll prove it."_

If there was one thing Elena was certain of right now besides the fact her entire world had just been shattered and haphazardly thrown back to together, it was that Henry would do whatever he promised to.

"Elena!" Jeremy's voice broke through her thoughts, and her head snapped up to see him running towards her. "What's going on? Everyone's behaving very oddly."

"Henry was right," was all she could reply.

"Huh?" Her brother replied, not quite comprehending.

"What he said about this town, about mom…it's all true."

Her brother's eyebrows furled. "You mean that everyone is some sort of fairytale character? But that's—"

The brunette shook her head vigorously. "It's not. I…just trust me on this," she said, her still-scrambled brain preventing her from continuing. She knew exactly what was going through Jeremy's head and couldn't help the sympathy that rose up. Out of the two of them, she had always been the one slightly more open to Henry's theory; and if she was having a tough time fully comprehending what had just occurred, she knew it was even worse for him.

Then an idea hit her—one that could help both of them. "Come on," she said, grabbing Jeremy's hand and practically running in the direction she had just come. "We're going to find Henry."

VD-OUAT

The two siblings found their younger brother standing with a group of people. Elena easily recognized the faces of people she knew: Mary Margaret, Ruby, Granny, David Nolan, Emma Swan…most, with the exception of David and Emma, she had known ever since she was six.

And now, with the curse being broken (and actually existing), they may as well be complete strangers. She knew the fairy tales by heart, but the young woman had no idea how much of the tales translated into real life.

"Elena! Jeremy!" Henry called, breaking away from the group and running towards them. "I told you it was real!" He said triumphantly when he reached them, more to Jeremy than anyone else.

Jeremy, for his part, was observing the scene in front of them with a look of disbelief. "Everything you said…it's really true?"

Both Elena and Henry nodded.

The look on Jeremy's face mirrored what Elena imagined hers had been—and probably still was to some extent. Dazed, uncomprehending.

"I…I've got to go," her brother said quickly, turning and all but running. Elena knew he was probably going to what she'd dubbed as 'his' spot in the forest—where when they had been growing up, he would escape to think things over—as his way of coping with how much his world had been changed in a matter of seconds.

Elena and Henry stood there, watching as their brother's silhouette become smaller and smaller in the distance. As selfish as it may sound, Elena secretly hoped Jeremy would manage to come to terms with everything soon—she needed him, as he was the only person in this town now who understood her.

Henry turned to face the brunette. "Do you want to meet them?" He asked, and Elena knew he was talking about the group of people behind them—the ones she no longer knew anything about.

"I don't think—" the woman began hesitantly, but the dark haired boy cut her off.

"They won't mind. They've known you ever since you were little, remember?" He told her. "They don't think you're evil, if that's what you're wondering," he added.

Without giving Elena time to protest, he grabbed her hand and, using strength she didn't know someone his size could possess, dragged her still slightly-shocked form over to the group of people.

As expected, she could feel their eyes on her as Henry dragged her over to them. Thankfully, they didn't seem to be hostile gazes—though she knew that didn't necessarily mean anything.

Swallowing the fear she could feel threatening to spill over, she managed to get something out.

"I'm sorry if I'm intruding on anything. I can just leave if you guys want," she said hurriedly when the silence began to grow awkward, ignoring the look Henry shot her.

"No, it's fine," Mary Margaret—_no,_ she corrected herself, _Snow White_—replied quickly.

The brunette glanced at the faces of the rest of the group, and found they at least held no outward dislike or judgement. Elena felt relief starting to override the fear—maybe they wouldn't see her as just Regina's adopted daughter after all. And then she realized, to her horror, that for the first time she'd indirectly referred to her mother as the Evil Queen.

_I guess a part of you believed it all along,_ a voice in the back of her mind whispered as she felt shame wash over her. Who, exactly, went around with some part of them believing the woman who'd saved them from a terrible life in the system—who they'd even come to see as a mother—was the Evil Queen?

Then she realized it must have been the way she'd seen Regina treat Emma Swan, with open hostility even if Elena could tell the blonde woman had no intention of trying to take Henry back. That was one thing that had never sat right with the young woman, regardless of how much she loved her mother.

_And there was the time she made what you thought was a normal apple turnover to give to Emma, which almost killed Henry when he ate it instead…_the same voice continued to whisper traitorously.

"Elena," a voice called her name brought the brunette out of her thoughts. She identified the voice as belonging to Granny (who really had become like a grandmother to Elena over the years).

"Sorry," she apologized immediately. "I was just—"

"It's fine. It's a lot to take in." For the first time since she'd arrived at the group, David Nolan—Charming, she corrected—spoke.

She gave him what she hoped as a smile of gratitude in return, and like that the awkwardness that had descended upon the group shattered. For the first time since the curse had broken, Elena began to feel something resembling peace as the group welcomed her in their midst, despite her being an outsider and the adopted daughter of the person who'd put them here in the first place.

VD-OUAT

_Hopefully this is a little longer than the previous chapter. Yes, things aren't very interesting right now, but I want to establish Elena's relationship with the other citizens of Storybrooke and how her and Jeremy deal with curse and revelation that Regina is the Evil Queen. Hook won't come up for a good while yet, sadly—but I do know how he will enter the story and in turn meet Elena._

_Below is just a note about my other stories—which ones I'm working on (or trying to), etc._

_I am slowly working on my other stories—mainly Blood, Love, and Gold and possibly Soulmates once I remember where I wanted to take the chapter I'm working on, along with maybe some others. I've decided one of my New Year's Resolutions is to finish some of my stories and not start so many new ones while I'm not that far into others._

_But don't be surprised if either some Harry Potter/Hobbit oneshots involving Luna/Fili get posted or a drabble/oneshot series about them—those are just to help get my creativity flowing again. I'm holding off on writing any new multi-chapter stories until I finish some of the ones I have going. _


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2:

The peacefulness was shattered almost as quickly as it came. Loud, angry shouting reached the groups ears, and they turned in unison to see Dr. Whale (whose fairy tale counterpart Elena wasn't going to even try and guess) leading a mob of angry townspeople through Storybrooke.

Immediately she knew they were going to Regina's mansion. Without thinking, she found herself sprinting in the same direction of the mob, hardly registering the shouts of her name behind her.

No matter what Regina had done before the curse, she was the only mother figure Elena had. And the brunette _had_ to save her; she didn't know if she could stand losing any more parental figures in her life.

Thankfully she knew shortcuts, and managed to reach the mansion a few split seconds before the mob. Throwing open the door, she managed to yell, "Regina!" before the mob was swarming the front yard behind her.

Spinning around she found what must have been half the town giving the house—and even her—death glares.

"Elena, get out of the way," Dr. Whale told her as he continued to glare at the open front door. Faintly Elena could hear her mother descending the stairs.

"No," she said stubbornly, her desire to protect Regina—regardless if she really was as evil as everyone said or not—outweighing every other instinct.

"We don't have time for this," one of the townspeople—whom Elena didn't know, surprisingly—snarled and marched forward, wrapping a hand around the brunette woman's arm in a tight grip and beginning to drag her off the porch.

"Get. Your hands. Off. My daughter," Regina's voice said coldly from the doorway, and the man immediately backed away. "Now, what is the meaning of this?" The dark haired woman continued, her voice taking on a sweet, pleasing tone though her eyes had a cool glint in them.

"You took everything from us," Dr. Whale said, "and it's about time you paid for it."

Elena noticed how her mother's eyes darkened at that. "What are you going to do? Kill me?" Regina said. "But that won't be enough for you, will it?"

"No, first we're going to make you suffer," the man continued.

All Elena could do is watch the scene unfolding before her in horror. Regina…she sounded nothing like the mother the young woman had grown up with. She seemed colder, more like…the Evil Queen. And then there was at least half the town calling for the woman to suffer—something that made Elena's stomach twist and bile rise up in her throat.

"Stop, stop!"

Suddenly, Emma was pushing her way through the mob, followed by Henry and the rest of the group Elena had been standing with earlier.

"Why should we listen to you?" Someone called.

"Because I'm still the sheriff," the blonde woman replied, putting herself between the mob and Regina, and by inclusion, Elena.

"And because she saved you! All of you," David chimed in.

"Because no matter what Regina did, it doesn't justify this," Mary Margaret quickly added, reminding Elena of exactly why Snow White had always been one of her favorite fairy tale characters. The woman's words almost made her sag with relief.

"Then what would you have us do?" Dr. Whale challenged.

VD-OUAT

_Jail's better than seeing her killed…right?_ Elena thought as she watched Emma, David and Mary walk off towards the sheriff's station with Regina, Henry trailing behind them after Elena assured him she'd be along soon.

Making her way into the forest, she followed the familiar trail to Jeremy's hide out spot. It had been hers as well, once, until she'd discovered she preferred sitting in her room and writing everything out in a diary. But she could still remember where it was well enough.

"Whoa, it's just me," the young woman said, holding her hands up when her brother's startled face turned toward her, body tense with a defensive posture. "I was just coming to see how you were doing."

"Oh," Jeremy said, breathing out. "You scared the hell out of me."

"Sorry," Elena told him, taking a seat on a fallen log. Jeremy joined her.

"It's just a lot to take in, you know?" Her brother finally said. She nodded. "But I think I just need time to fully adjust."

"Hey, at least you didn't walk almost all through town in a complete daze," the brunette woman said.

Jeremy smiled at that, though it faded a few seconds later. "I know you well enough to know there's more to you coming to find me than just checking up on how I'm handling things. So, spill."

Sighing, she told him about the mob that had swarmed their mother's house, and how Emma Swan and a few others had decided the local jail would be the safest place for Regina. Not to mention hopefully appease the mob enough that they wouldn't try anything.

"Henry was with them when I left," Elena finished.

"Let's go," Jeremy said, standing up. "We should be there as well."

Standing up, she followed her brother out of the woods and found she couldn't shake a feeling that very soon, something else would change.

VD-OUAT

When the two siblings arrived at the station, everything was dark and they found it empty.

"Where—?" Jeremy asked, confused.

Unable to provide an answer, Elena found a spare flashlight and used it to dig around the station for clues. _Wait a second, _the brunette thought, pulling her phone out of her pocket quickly.

Motioning for her brother to keep quiet, she scrolled through her contacts until she found the name she was looking for. "Mom, where are you?" She asked hurriedly when the other end picked up.

"Elena?"

"What's going on?"

There was a something that sounded like the phone being fought over before another voice answered. _"Elena, this is Emma. No time to explain but Regina's in danger. Whatever you do, _don't _come looking. Please." _

She could hear what sounded like Regina muttering that 'for once she agrees' before the line went dead.

"Jeremy, stay here," she said, pocketing the phone and running out of the station. Like hell she was going to stay put while her mother was in danger!

VD-OUAT

It took time, but eventually Elena found that her mother and Emma were in the town hall (thanks to a few pointers from Jeremy, whom had better luck finding stuff than she did). Bursting through the doors, she narrowly missed being set aflame by David.

"You shouldn't be here!" Regina yelled from the other side of the room where she stood near Emma and an old hat. Her hands were spread in front of her and the brunette just knew she was trying to do magic. "Come on," her mother muttered.

The hairs on Elena's neck rose, and when the young woman glanced up she found herself face to face with a hideous creature that looked like it had crawled out of the depths of hell.

"Elena!" Mary Margaret yelled, snapping the brunette out of it. She ran to the opposite side of the room, just as the other woman poured alcohol over a railing, which David quickly set fire to.

She was confused as hell, but knew that now was not the time to ask questions. Instead, she watched as her mother concentrated keeping one eye on the thing David was fending off.

It wasn't long before the creature broke through David's defenses and flew straight for Regina. As Elena stood frozen, Emma reached out and touched Regina's shoulder, causing light to burst from the mayor's hands and create a swirling vortex inside the hat.

The force of the vortex sucked the creature down inside—only for it to suddenly reach up and grab Emma around the ankle. Elena lunged to try and pull the blonde out of it's grip. The thing must have been much stronger than it looked, for it soon pulled the two women down with it.

Up above, before everything was drowned out by a loud rushing noise, Elena could hear the cries and exclaims of the others. Then she landed hard on something and knew no more.

VD-OUAT

_Uh, hi? *ducks torches* I'm sorry this took forever—like always—but I wanted to give you guys something good. While I'm not sure about this one, it's the best I can do right now. I can't promise frequent future updates for either this or my others stories, most of which I decided to put on indefinite hiatus for the time being because the drive just isn't there and it isn't fair to you guys. Not all of them, but most. _

_I'm terribly sorry to do that. I promise to not upload so many stories next time, and not until I finish at least one of my non-hiatus stories (such as this, 'Soulmates', and possibly a few others). I really am sorry. I'll try and post an author's note on those stories that I'm putting on hiatus for now, just so it's fair for everyone reading them. And I really am sorry about having to do that. _


End file.
